The London Underground was the World’s first rapid transit system and underground railway. The Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863 and is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Another first was the London Underground map: Designed in 1931 by the civil servant Harry Beck it was revolutionary in that it wasn’t an exact geographic representation to London above it.

52% of the Underground now runs above ground, but Londoners still refer to it as ‘The Underground’ or ‘The Tube’ – after the shape of the tunnels. Other countries/cities have adopted different names; Paris – Metro, New York – Subway, San Francisco – BART. The name ‘Metro’ seems most popular across Europe and is even used for the underground system in Washington DC. If you call the London Underground/Tube, ‘Metro’, you may be criticised by locals. You could retort that as the London Metropolitan Railway was the first underground railway, the British invented the metro name as well, making it valid – this should appeal to local pride and get you off the hook. ‘Subway’ in Britain means an underground pedestrian road crossing – so don’t use that!

Another Tube first was ‘Thought for the Day’. In 2004, Oval Station customer services manager, Anthony Gentles, started writing inspirational quotes on the station noticeboard The quotes were from his favourite book Tao Te Ching.

The idea was soon replicated at other Tube stations. Many of the notices were pretty funny.

Then in January 2018, a staff member at Dollis Hill posted this:

The singer Lily Allen was ‘outraged’ by the message as she saw it as a celebration of colonialism. It was soon wiped off the board.

And Transport for London (TFL) wrote:We apologise to any customers who were offended by the message on the whiteboard at Dollis Hill today.Our staff across the network share messages on these boards, but in this instance the message was clearly ill-judged. We are speaking with our staff to remind them of what is and isn’t acceptable.

It’s very easy to cause offence these days – especially with internet users who are never slightly upset, but always outraged or appalled.

In February 2018, a staff member at Colliers Wood station posted this:

Clearly a joke, albeit in bad taste, but the internet went crazy. Ms. Evelyn Clegg wrote on Twitter:Is this supposed to be funny, @tfl? Well this humourless feminist is genuinely appalled. Incredibly short-sighted & a waste of an opportunity for celebration.

And Transport for London (TFL) wrote:This message was wrong and inappropriate in multiple ways, and completely unacceptable.We apologise for the offence caused and the message has been removed as quickly as possible.An investigation is underway in to who thought this was a good idea, and the appropriate action will be taken.We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and actively work to create more opportunities for women in our industry and celebrate those who fought for the rights of women.

Things calmed down and a series of sanitised messages, such as ‘Please Mind the Gap’ and ‘Please be careful on the escalators’ appeared on station notice boards. Then on Saturday April 22nd April (the hottest April day for 70 years), a staff member at Blackhorse Road station posted this:

Killjoy and, of course, Twitter user Michael Hawkes was quick to post:Way to body shame @TfL
and other’s who were outraged and appalled were quick to jump on the bandwagon.

Transport for London (TFL) wrote:We apologise unreservedly to customers who were offended by the insensitive message on the whiteboard at Blackhorse Road station. Our staff across the network share messages on these boards, but in this instance the message was clearly ill-judged and it has been removed. An investigation is underway to establish who thought such an unacceptable message was a good idea, so that the appropriate action can be taken.

So looks like three station staff have received warnings this year. I’m sure other staff are frightened to try and brighten passenger’s days with the odd joke. For example, this children’s joke:What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? A stick.
Would no doubt be tweeted by someone who was ‘appalled’ at the insensitivity shown towards the plight of the Australian aborigine.

I wonder if we’ll see anything but sensible messages on Tube notice boards now – and that for me is a shame.

Late afternoon update: all the Irish pubs are packed with a combination of those trying to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and those watching the rugby. Expect standing room only. I retired to Napa Bar where I have a seat – only bottled Guinness available for 75kc though.

Saint Patrick’s Day is a worldwide celebration that usually involves some parades and a visit to a pub for a pint of Guinness. Prague is no exception.

For the first time, there will be a parade from Hybernská Street around the city centre through Old Town Square, Národní třída and Wenceslas Square and back to Hybernská Street. I haven’t yet been able to find a time for the start of this parade.

Plenty of bars and clubs are getting in on the act, with Irish-themed activities, music and film. Jameson Irish Whiskey is sponsoring the parade and various events including the Rock Café and Prague University Kampus Hybernská. Their Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/events/1690971687589471/

My choice will be pint of Guinness (109 CZK) in what I think is the most Irish of the Irish pubs in Prague – The James Joyce. My review from 2015 is here: James Joyce. The tables are already outside so let’s hope the weather stays as good as last weekend.

If you are in Vinohrady and don’t want to trek into town, then Becketts is a good option, they also have a garden. A pint (actually not completely sure if it is pint or 0.5l) of Guinness there is 95 CZK. My review from 2016 here: Becketts.

Here’s a list of some other Irish Pubs in Prague, in no particular order, with a link to their web page and the price for a pint of Guinness:

Saint Valentine’s Day isn’t a Czech tradition – the ‘Czech Day of Love’ or ‘Svátek zamilovaných’ is celebrated on May 1st. Prague lovers tend to visit Petřín hill and kiss under a blooming cherry tree. Legend has it that a girl who is not kissed will wither and die in twelve months.

However, February 14th (a Wednesday this year) is the name day for Valentýn (the day of Svatý Valentin). Western influences have resulted in plenty of Czech restaurants and florists embracing the event.

A number of Prague fine-dining restaurants are already advertising a Valentine’s Menu:

The Royal Theatre is screening the classic Audrey Hepburn movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Two tickets and a bottle of French wine for 690 CZK. I’m glad the Royal have started to be innovative again as they seemed stuck in a rut of repeating burlesque shows.

If you hate everything about Valentine’s Day, there are places for you:

Beckett’s Irish Pub has an anti-Valentines Day Party with live music from Neil Brooks. They promise that there won’t be a love heart in sight. And only a few hundred metres away, California Republic has the same idea with another anti-Valentine party with a welcome drink, free comedy show and live DJ.
Obviously romance is out of style in Vinohrady – well I guess the Royal Theatre still counts as Vinohrady.

I’ll leave you with the first stanza of the poem Máj (May), written by the romantic Czech poet Karel Hynek Máchay:

Late evening, on the first of May—
The twilit May—the time of love.
Meltingly called the turtle-dove,
Where rich and sweet pinewoods lay.
Whispered of love the mosses frail,
The flowering tree as sweetly lied,
The rose’s fragrant sigh replied
To love-songs of the nightingale.
In shadowy woods the burnished lake
Darkly complained a secret pain,
By circling shores embraced again;
And heaven’s clear sun leaned down to take
A road astray in azure deeps,
Like burning tears the lover weeps.

Today, April 23rd is Saint George’s Day. Saint George is the Patron Saint of England and the red cross of Saint George forms part of the British Union Jack (flag).

Patronages of Saint George:

Patron saint of Georgia and Portugal.

In Canada, St George’s Day is a provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador that is observed on the Monday closest to April 23 each year.

In Germany, Saint George is the patron saint of the German city of Freiburg im Breisgau. He also appears on the coats of arms of several German towns and cities, including Bamberg, Bürgel, Dießen am Ammersee, Eisenach, Mengeringhausen, Schwarzenburg and Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald.

In Italy, Saint George is one of the Patron Saints of Locorotondo, Genoa, Milan, as well as the patron saint of Ferrara and Reggio Calabria.

Saint George is the patron saint of Beirut, Lebanon.

Saint George is one of the patron saints of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo.

In Spain, Saint George is the saint patron of both Aragon and Catalonia.

In the USA, St George is the patron saint of the Boy Scouts of America.

The name George has many country-specific variations such as Jiri, Gerhard, Georg and Georgios and today is their name day.

What is a Name Day?

In many countries, people don’t just have a birthday but a name day as well. In some countries a name day is even more important than a birthday.

Usually, each first name is assigned to one day of the calendar which corresponds to the feast day of a Saint. On that day you should wish that person “Happy Name Day”. The best thing about name days is that you don’t need to know your friend’s birthday, just their name, in order to send them a greeting.